

Contracted and lax tendons in newborn calves
A look at the potential causes and treatments of limb problems in new calves
Thankfully, most calves are born unassisted, out of sight and out of mind. They nurse independently and quickly take their position as one of many productive herd members. But sometimes things don’t go as hoped, and the occasional calf is born with leg issues — namely contracted or lax tendons. Contracted tendons exhibit as “knuckling […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs drop as pork cutout sinks to near two-year low
Cattle futures also follow beef values lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Wednesday for the ninth time in 10 sessions as weak cash hog prices and lower pork values dragged the market to a fresh three-month low, traders said. Pork packer margins have eroded and the closely followed cash wholesale pork cutout value fell on […] Read more

Agribition Supreme champions
Purely Purebred, news from the January 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Congratulations to the 2022 Canadian Western Agribition Beef Supreme Champion Bull and Female, presented by CN Railway. The Supreme Champion Bull was SVY Mayfield 30H, exhibited by Cays Cattle, Kinistino, Sask. (photo above) The Supreme Champion Female was EF Primrose 925. Calf at side is EF Oattes Primrose 2234. Exhibited by Enright Farms, Renfrew, Ont. (photo […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs sink to three-month low on weak pork prices
Live cattle steady to higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Tuesday for the eighth time in nine sessions on concerns about pork demand and slumping pork prices, traders said. The actively traded February lean hog contract dropped to a three-month low as packer margins eroded and the pork cutout price slid to the […] Read more

News from the Canadian Simmental Association
Purely Purebred, news from the January 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Friends of Canadian Simmental Foundation scholarships valued at $3,000 each, were awarded to Ariel Wilcox of Treherne, Man., and Brodyn LaBatte of Gladmar, Sask. Wilcox is currently enrolled at the University of Manitoba to obtain her master’s degree of nursing and LaBatte is attending Olds College in Alberta, taking agriculture management with a major production. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs up off three-month low on bargain buying
Chicago cattle futures also gain
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures bounced from a three-month low on Monday and settled higher for the first time in eight sessions in a technical and bargain-buying rally to start the first full trading week of the year. Cattle futures also gained on improved packer demand following recent weeks of […] Read more

Spruce Ranching Co-operative banks on sustainability
Sustainability strategies are paying off at one of Alberta’s oldest grazing sites, but they also come with challenges
[UPDATED: Jan. 10, 2023] The vast, expansive area along the eastern slope of the southwestern Rocky Mountains is stunning, no matter the time of year, with miles of native grassland, abundant creeks and critters: both cattle and carnivores. However, the 22,500 acres of range at the Spruce Ranching Co-operative — locally known as the Spruce […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs extend slide to three-month low
Cattle also lower; "no urgency in this market right now"
Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures sank to a three-month low and closed weaker for the seventh consecutive session on Friday on concerns about weak demand, brokers said. An increase in hog weights also hung over the market, after recent winter storms delayed processing and backed up livestock on farms, brokers said. Pork […] Read more

Characteristics of the cattle market
Market Talk with Jerry Klassen
Every year, I am a guest lecturer to a third-year agriculture economics class at the University of Manitoba. During the lecture, I provide an overview of the fed cattle market. More recently, I was having a discussion with feedlot operators, and they asked about the key to successful marketing and profitability for the feedlot operator. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs touch three-week low
Most live cattle futures settle lower
Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures set a three-week low on Thursday, under pressure from losses in broader markets and following recent weakness in cash hog prices, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also ended lower as the market pulled back one day after hitting a September high. Livestock markets took signals from a […] Read more